Marine gastrotrichs from the tremiti archipelago in the southern adriatic sea, with the description of two new species of Urodasys

Abstract

Twenty-four macrodasyid and thirteen chaetonotid species of marine Gastrotricha are reported. Two of these species - Urodasys apuliensis and U. bucinastylis - are new, while the macrodasyid genus Crasiella is reported for the first time in Italy and the Mediterranean basin. Samples were taken at depths varying from 1 to 34 metres. Altogether, the number of species found was relatively high and comparable with the range of fauna found on the major Italian islands. A possible evolution of the reproductive system in the genus Urodasys is briefly discussed. © 1999 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.